> > A perversion war would be *fast* on a planet (and the chilling thing > > is that many nations are gearing up for it - information warfare is > > HOT right now), and probably would be over quickly - leaving > > more normal kinds of conflict. > > I don't think so. Memetic warfare is anything but fast. It takes > centuries.

Yes, but the kind of warfare Vinge (and I) talk about is not about memes,
rather computer viruses, cracking codes, trojan horses and taking over
operating systems. This could be very fast if AI, expert systems and
genetic algorithms are used.

Of course, memes could be used as well. Many classic cracks has been done
using "social engineering", where the crackers played on the psychology
of the victims.